BARRHEAD - Soon, there will be another option for people looking for addiction and mental health treatment in the Barrhead area.
Sometime in June, the Brick House Recovery Centre, which opened its doors for the first time in Edmonton in February, hopes to open a satellite branch in Barrhead at the Barrhead Pharmacy and Homehealth Clinic.
Dr. Lovneet Hayer, a general psychiatrist, said he and two of his colleagues, also psychiatrists, who all worked on the front lines of the public mental health and addiction system in the city for a decade, were finding there were a lot of gaps in care.
"We've worked at in and outpatient centres and hospitals, and what we noticed is that there was the same cookie-cutter treatment that was the same for everyone, and they get the same type of treatment no matter what their goals may be," he said. "That is what motivated us. We wanted a place that did not feel so sanitized and cold. We wanted a place that felt more homelike and comfortable. A place that provides the best care possible. We looked at some of the best treatment places in the world and wondered why those types of evidence-based treatment were not available here."
At the Brick House, they have two addiction programming options, the first being a day-tox program, where people come during the day and are under medical supervision and then go home.
"Usually, a typical detox takes about five to seven days," Hayer said.
The centre also offers a longer, more intensive multi-week treatment outpatient program lasting four, eight and 12 weeks.
"What often happens is that when people go into recovery with mental health and addiction issues, they go to an inpatient site, a 'rehab site'," he said.
However, Hayer said, what they've found is that what happens is that an "artificial bubble" forms.
"You are given these skills, but you have nowhere to apply them because everything is safe and secure, but in real life, people have to deal with all these stressors," he said. "So what we've done is create powerful, evidence-based treatments that people access through us during the day, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and they can practice what they've learned when they return home to their real life. If it doesn't, we can go back and make adjustments as you go. By the end of your treatment, you will have a battle-tested plan where you know what works and doesn't work for you."
He said they will offer the same treatment options in Barrhead but modified slightly, using technology and the Internet to allow patients to access the program in their homes or via its offices at the Barrhead Pharmacy and Homehealth Clinic.
For instance, Hayer said clients accessing the day-tox program would be conducted at a person's home after being assessed virtually by a doctor, a nurse and a pharmacist, who would then visit the client at their residence, "Take your vitals, give you any required medications, all in the comfort of your home."
He also noted that after people have completed their day-tox or the more intensive multi-week sessions, Brick House also provides a robust aftercare program.
As for why he and his partners decided to expand to a rural community like Barrhead, Hayer said, it was about breaking down barriers for access.
"There are huge barriers in rural centres in accessing mental health and addiction care," he said. "Stigma is one of them. In small communities, everyone talks to each other about what everyone else is doing."
They also felt that if they could successfully make a go of it in Barrhead, they could use the same model and help other small rural communities.
The Brick House is entirely privately funded without government support, meaning its clients must pay out of their pockets to access its services.
Which, Hayer said, has its benefits.
He noted that it is often difficult for people who need mental health or addiction services in a timely manner, saying it usually involves referrals from other medical officials and/or wait lists.
Hayer noted that some insurance providers, including the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB), may cover part or all of the costs, depending on the plan.
In addition to the private addiction services Brick House provides, Hayer added, they also offer psychiatric consultation services and psychologist sessions covered by the provincial medical plan, but in that case, Hayer noted they would have to have a referral from another healthcare provider, most likely, their family physician.
